Comics: Assignment 2

 

Interdependent: Words and Pictures go hand in hand.

Little Bones Babes lies down under the weeping willow tree and day dreams while birds fly by.

 

Word Specific: Pictures illustrate but don’t significantly add to a largely complete text.

The leaves on the branches rustled a calming sound as the willow blew in the wind.

 

 

Picture Specific: Words do little more than add a soundtrack.

“Tweet. Tweet. Tweet.”

 

Parallel: Words and pictures seem to follow very different courses without intersecting.

“One bird, Two Bird, Three Bird, Four. “

Pop-Up Books: Assignment 2

Comics: Assignment 1

My face?  I’m not an illustrator, but here’s what I had to show the class.  I thought I was going to die of embarrassment.  Oh well, I will never get better if I don’t make myself try, right?

The objective is to strip 5 layers down from my face as shown by example in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.  

 

Pop-Up Books: Assignment 1

Personal Statement

My entire life has been revolved around music.  I have performed in numerous musical outfits, collaborated with many musicians and participated in many styles and events.  There is not a day that goes by where creating music is not a part of my focus or consciousness.  I feel the most connected as a human to this earth when I am creating.

This past year, I had spent most of my free time in between and during my classes, work and personal life messaging my guitarist who lives 3000 miles away from me.  We would send our music ideas back and forth via our telephones when a thought we were thinking of came to our minds.  These incomplete, scattered pieces would travel in a matter of seconds taking away the delay of time and locale.  As I was barely the more computer savvy of the two of us, I would take our work and edit it on my work station in Final Cut Pro so as to put it up on the web the easiest way I knew how, in video format.

The fire in which we sent messages back and forth was akin to a passionate love affair of sound.  As I would arrange and work through the guitar ideas she sent me, I thought of how much easier it would be to just record a loop over what she had sent me.  The amount of time I could save on editing and put towards further creation was something I thought would potentially further our output of creativity.

I like the idea of thinking of new ways to collect and create sound.  I am interested in providing tools for other musicians to focus forward in the work they want to create as well as creating opportunities for collaboration.  I am interested in creating a tool that would allow people to bring their musical stories forward from a quick doodle of an inspiration to a composition in full bloom.

Thesis Inspirations

Thesis Abstract 2

Lisa Maria’s Thesis Abstract #2:

 

The LoveLeeSounds App is an application for musicians to collaborate with each other using their mobile devices.  One artist may have an idea for a song, be it a melody or a riff.  This artist can record the idea on their phone and then take the recording and send it to the other artist through MMS or through the application. The other artist receives this sound recording and is inspired to write their own melodic, harmonic, or percussive idea on top of the first idea presented.  The second artist can pass it on to a 3^rd artist and the 3^rd artist can add to the loop.

What would be remarkable about this tool is the instant connection an artist may have to reach another person and gather their ideas thus creating art through mobile technology.

The ability for artists to collaborate immediately with other artists came about with my band LoveLeeHeathen this past year.  Living 3,000 miles away from my musical soulmate, we would text message ideas back and forth.  I would take the information she sent me and put it in an editing software to collaborate my ideas and then post it on Vimeo.

If I had this mobile app, I wouldn’t need to go to any other platform to create with my music writing partner.  It would be a one-stop-shop to record ideas and arrange music no matter the location.  The opportunity to give musicians the tools that they need to collaborate and create interests me very much.  I would love the opportunity to see this into reality.

Thesis Abstract 1

Lisa Maria’s Thesis Abstract #1:

 

The problem of connecting with other musicians seems to have been solved by Craigslist, Myspace, Soundcloud and a host of other websites.  Sadly, none of these sites are organized in a way address the true needs of musicians; professionalism, reliability, and compensation.  What I am hoping to address in my project is the opportunity to give musicians the tools they need to organize themselves specifically to the location they are at; thus helping artists tour easier and have access to musicians when they choose to travel from city to city.  Musicians have a profile in which their photo, name, city, instrument and day rate are the main introductions to the artist.  Like craigslist, it would be city specific so that when an artist goes to another town and wants to know what is happening that evening to pick up a gig, they have access through this social network.

The key is to keep professional so that the market is not oversaturated with a majority of artists wasting people’s time.  This site is not for the weekend warrior.  In order to keep it professional, the idea of having a feedback or a comment section in the vein of testimonials from other artists that are also participating on this site.  Credentials are a tricky notion, but if there is a way to hit design cues that would encourage education to be a favorable trait, I am interested in people sharing that about themselves.

The form of this site would be a mobile application for the telephone and desktop site.  I am mainly focusing on what this tool will provide musicians with smart phones.  The immediacy of mobile technology drives the market to a more forward approach.  The ideal  user scenario would be for a musician to step off of an airplane, check into the city, and see where there are jam nights or actual gigs in need of musicians.

 

 

 

 

 

The Come to Jesus Moment… The Ladybug Manifesto

I present 9 hours from now, class in 6, and leave Brooklyn in 3.   Just enough time to clean up my line of thought and fill in the communication gap that was eating away at my stomach lining this semester. Faith is hard to maintain.  Blindly pushing through looking for a miracle on how to explain why it is I do what I do, this conversation has gone on a little too long, and I am bored.  May we please talk about you now?

“What are you trying to say?”  That was the question that was asked on the note card after “I don’t think there is any thought to this.”

Well my dear classmate, thank you.  You are one of 3 anonymous white cards from a class of 16.  You informed me the most.  Thank you for being patient with me and sitting through my presentations.

Being a musician has always meant, I don’t have to explain shit to you.  You feel it or you don’t.

I REALLY HATE THIS PART, and I probably will never get away from feeling so stupid  and pretentious when I talk about my personal work.  I just want to put out there and you decide if you can relate to it or not with no strings attached, no commitments, no expectations.  I don’t even need to know that you saw it.  All I can be is honest.   The worst part about art school is how you have to explain everything.  What is this, therapy?

Let me try to break it down:

The project is on my relationship with Faith and Devotion towards myself, my love, and my art.

It a reflective/meditative piece that includes a performative element.

The Sound in the City is the class it was commissioned for.

Mulberry and Prince is my location where parts of the work were recorded and where inspiration of the project began.

Parts of the conversation in this piece include, yet are not limited to:

The Virgin Mary, the wall that keeps me + “danger” out/ put, the history behind the bricks, the faceless positioning, the light of the world, the halo, the spotlight rejected, the shame incurred, the love expressed, the form of the figure, the lack of clarity, the end of the world, and the darkness that can overwhelm and envelop the light, the choice to extinguish, and the voice that lingers.

My hope is in the sound.  My commitment to this life is in sound.  My faith in this life is in sound.  I devote my life to sound. I live my life for sound.

This is where I am at.

I could be anywhere.

Social Facts: Final Paper

LoveLeeHeathen is in need of a business plan. This band, my band has pretty much taken over my life and everything that surrounds me is quickly becoming secondary. The two main members are Heather and myself.

We have been sending musical ideas back and forth via text messaging like candy grams on Valentines Day since November of last year. Each one is sent with love and care. Opening up a message is like reading a love note. There is anticipation, excitement, fear of rejection, and a couple of hearts put on the line in order to give the other a chance to collaborate and create.

At present time, we are 5 months into our newest relationship of music. As we have been down this road before, this is our second approach to being a cohesive unit of sound. 10 years ago we started another band called Alaska/Falling James/ The Mary Connection. We had to change our name several times. The craziest of all reasons is when Courtney Love’s ex-husband yelled at us on our 1st tour vehemently stating, “I’m Falling James!”

Our band was an all girl post punk rock band from Pacifica, California. We all went to the same school together. After our drummer’s visa expired and she was sent back to Japan, our bassist soon left the group. The amount of work to sustain a band is similar to cultivating a relationship with a love interest. Heather and I continued to play for the next year and a half before I went off to college in Los Angeles. School is the ultimate band killer. We worked really hard, we were really happy, we disagreed a lot, and loosing members was like falling out with family. When it was over, we both were extremely depressed.

I have been in 15 bands since I was 15, sat in with numerous players, received my under graduate degree in music, and I have learned a lot along the way. No other musical relationship has had as big of an impact on me as my band relationship with Heather.

One day, on a whim she sent me a text with a guitar riff and asked me for feedback. A day later, I sent her back her text looped with vocals over it. The file was created in Final Cut Pro, slapped a photo I took onto the file, and posted it up on Vimeo to show her what I was thinking.

It sparked a whole revolution of sound between the two of us. Being able to communicate viably with technology was something we accidently stumbled upon. In the past my teachers have always cautioned against being more than 15 minutes away from other members of your musical ensemble. Dedication is hard to drive by. I would have never considered making music with Heather again on a serious level under the current circumstances without the use of technology. We live 3000 miles apart. She is still in the Bay Area and I am here in New York City.

With the knowledge I have acquired with film and music editing in school, I was able to use a platform to express and communicate ideas. These quick ideas I posted for her on Vimeo allowed for us to be in constant communication and discuss the structure of our sound. The hope that was sparked in Heather to create again after 8 years of not playing music was a complete miracle. She started to blow up my phone with pieces for me to sew together our framework of sound. I started writing melodies and harmonies to what she had sent me. She bought a keyboard at Target and started to send me piano ideas. I hid in the practice rooms at school and sent her video footage of my sound thoughts.

Most of what we shared in the beginning was sent via text and it was immediately responded to with a follow up within seconds. For me my world changed. I started singing into my phone on the subway, while walking down the street, while on break in between classes, whenever and wherever I was when her ideas or my ideas caused a spark of inspiration.

Arranging the structure of what we were passing back and forth was posted online when I would ignore my homework or my need for sleep. I have been constantly late for class, late turning in my homework, late to drop classes, and late everywhere I go. This project has become all consuming. Heather has 2 kids, a husband, and a full time, director titled job as a nurse. Obviously, I am here at NYU in grad school trying to finish up my education and putting my thesis off to do this project. Neither of us have any time to spare.

What we need is structure. Something happens that is absolute magic when the two of us collaborate, and everything comes so easy for us. Gigs are offered to us, doors are opened, and opportunities that don’t usually come are available really quickly. In the past record labels and management teams showed serious interest in our band. The luck that we have together is weird, wonderful, and totally stressful. After being in so many bands after my first real band with Heather, I can say it is not normal and completely incredible what we can manifest together. I don’t take it for granted.

The feeling of being in control and on top of everything is starting to slide. There are more opportunities that we are starting to have to reconsider. It is starting to get frustrating because our bond is really tight, yet we are completely strapped for time and resources. There are only 2 people holding the weight of this band. Trying to plan should be easier with the technology, but our personal lives are becoming more strained.

This opportunity is almost going so fast that it could fizzle out just as quickly as it is coming through. Putting together gigs and opportunities are dandy, but we have to consider the quality of the product that is going out as well as the next steps of communication with our audience. There is only so long that each of us can operate at a loss when you consider the price of airfare. Sadly, I am not a trust fund baby. Since this is familiar and unfamiliar terrain, the coarse of direction needs to evolve in away that is fiscally responsible and creatively conducive.

What I am proposing is an initial work set up and plan to be put into effect. Since we have a tight bond in place, we have to continue to create with that same respect, but make it easier for each other to contribute to the band. The songs are starting to become secondary to the machine that is taking over our time.

Logistics, booking gigs, finding members, recording in a multi-million dollar studio, these are all things we have done in less than 5 months as a band. Most bands do not get this far in a year. These opportunities are wonderful, but they are overwhelming. It’s going to take a shift in perspective to remember how we started just a short 5 months ago, and what we did to create an atmosphere where music would just flow.

With the band starting to become a serious weight, we have to take a step back and focus on what is the most important part of our band. For us, it’s our songs. It is amazing to perform live, feel the rush of being in front of an audience, and hear people cheer. The pressure to perform is on. We have played 4 shows, and have started to make new friends who are supporting our band. To play live is phenomenal and we are grateful for everybody who believes in what we are doing. Our truest intention is to write songs that matter to both of us.

Taking a step back and deciding on how we want to continue to create without the expectation of an audience is important. To continue the commitment, we have to keep our investment value high. The pleasure of playing and creating has to outweigh the loss of resources and time expended outside of our already packed personal and professional lives. It has to be as easy as sending text messages again. There has to be a free hour in a day to devote to this band.

Calendar synching has never been on my list of priorities for anyone ever in my life. I feel totally constrained, and I hate making plans this way. I am willing to reconsider my privacy and my time for her. That is a huge step for me. I am also willing to consider relocating this summer to San Francisco to work on our band and get it cohesive enough to easily jump into the studio again, and onto the road when we are really tight. These two areas are very difficult and pressing on my personal life, but if I want to continue to create with her, I have to work on my level of commitment. I am incredibly independent and non-committal with my time and in the long run, working contrary to our focus will destroy our band.

The fear on the table is that if we don’t move fast with these opportunities they will fade. We are not listening to nor learning from the magic that we have seen ourselves create. This semester in our Social Facts class, we have discussed what it means to work in a dynamic. Studying what makes people want to participate, what turns people off, what brings attention to products to sell, and what it means to be a brand trying to connect to an audience has made me think deeper about my connection to Heather. I really could not do this with just anybody. Creating music with Heather is really about my relation to her as a sister and what we bring as a creative force when we step up to the plate.

The reality we currently face is that we are two people becoming an entity that is starting not to work for us. We are demanding ourselves to focus on our brand. This is an artistic endeavor. Outside opinions and distractions killed our band the first time around. It’s time to go back to our text messages and remember why we started to create in the first place.

Thank God there is a serious bond between us that we can strategize our direction forward to be able to take a step back and ask ourselves what is important. The dynamic we have invested in is strong. Our hearts are in the songs, and that is what we are going to get back to. We can plan all day and create merchandise, record, tour, and then some. What we inspire each other to do is make music.

I just sent the above contents to my band mate. Her response in a text was “Just read the paper. On a day that I am down, you have made me smile. I feel so important reading what you have wrote… I could cry. You inspire me everyday.” And then she sent me a new piano piece. Strong bonds keep groups together in the face of major challenges, adversity, and obstacles. We are alive.